INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OFFICE
What is the International Relations Office?
The Office was created in 1994 in
response to the North American Free
Trade Agreement and serves as TxDOT’s
point of contact for border issues; and for
federal, state, and local entities on
matters of an international nature.
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What is the International Relations Office?
IRO Mission
Assist Commission, Administration, districts, divisions and offices
achieve the TxDOT mission through support on international issues.
• Participate in State and Bi-National (US-MX) transportation
related committees
• Produce border reports and publications
• Spearhead border trade and transportation studies
• Provide Spanish translations and standards for translations
• Host International Visitors to TxDOT
• Work with US-MX border crossing stakeholders on border
issues
• Advocate for POE owners/operators and State of Texas
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Looking Ahead
• Transitioning toward a better understanding of the
key role transportation plays in trade and economic
development.
• Gain a better understanding of how global trade
impacts Texas and U.S. highways.
• Become better equipped to assist TxDOT in future
infrastructure planning
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 US-MX trade (exports/imports) was $506B
 70% of total U.S.-MX trade transported by truck through
Texas POEs
 3.5 million trucks entered Texas from Mexico in 2013
 Mexico is Texas’ #1 trading partner - $195B
 Mexico is Texas’ top export destination - $101B
#2 Canada - $25.89B
#3 Brazil - $10.83B
#4 China - $10.74B
#5 Netherlands - $9.85B
*2013 Figures
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 28 border crossings
 13 – Pharr
 8 – Laredo
 7 – El Paso
 13 allow commercial
trucks
 TxDOT builds/maintains
connecting infrastructure
to POEs
Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge
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 Binational Level
 U.S.-Mexico Joint Working
Committee (JWC)
 US-MX International
Bridges and Border
Crossings (BBBX) Group
 Border Governors
Conference (BGC)
 TxDOT and State Level
 Freight Advisory Committee
 Border Trade Alliance (BTA)
 Border Trade Alliance
Committee (BTAC)
 Others
Guadalupe-Tornillo International Bridge project
El Paso area
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REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS (In-house/Legislative)
• Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings – Annual indepth report on the border crossings
• Quarterly Border Crossing Traffic Data – Data compiled/distributed to
local, state and federal stakeholders and interested private entities. Includes
POV, commercial, bus, pedestrian and train.
*January-June 2014
Northbound Commercial Truck Crossings
• International Activities Report – Details D/D/O’s international activities –
coordination w/Mexico, border improvements, international visitors, etc.
• Legislatively Mandated Reports - A report by CTR to combine the:
International Trade Corridor Plan, BTAC Report and Transportation Trade
Activities Report for Legislature. Final report due by December 31.
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ADMINISTER BORDER STUDIES
• Border Master Plans (completed) – El Paso,
Laredo, Pharr
•
•
Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) project
Facilitate trade - developing plans to inventory
transportation and POE infrastructure on both sides
of the border
• Border Wait Times (ongoing at 7 commercial ports
and 1 POV port)
• Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) project
• Measure (RFID) crossing times on-going, real time
crossing times at the major commercial crossings in
Texas
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• Benchmarking Texas’ Trade Transportation Infrastructure
• Compare Texas’ transportation infrastructure with peer states
• Identify tools for potential improvements to keep Texas
competitive with other border states
• The Role of Texas’ Transportation System in Enhancing Export
Competiveness
• Identify role of transportation in the logistics chain
• Describe the logistic chains for Texas’ major export industries
• Analysis of the Development of Mexico’s Northern Horizontal
Corridor and its Potential Impacts on Texas
• Impact of corridor on trade flows across the U.S.-Mexico border
through Mexico’s Northern Trade Corridor (Mazatlán – Durango
- Matamoros highway)
• Expected diversion of shipments from other border state
crossings to South Texas crossings.
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OTHER IRO RESPONSIBILITES
Translations
• Translate material English-Spanish/Spanish-English/other languages
• Assure consistency throughout TxDOT and implement standards.
Border Technology Exchange Program (BTEP)
• Established in 1994 - Provides opportunities for technology and
information exchanges between U.S. and Mexican Border States.
International Visitors
• Since 1994 - hosted/coordinated 1,800+
visitors from over
40 countries.
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